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R. W, HARDIE AIR HUHIDIFIBR Feb. 12 1924;- I R ,'15,766

Original Filed Aug. 10. 1921 IN VENTOR Reieaued Feb. 12, 1924.

. UNITED I e S I Re. 15,766

PATENT OFFICE.

aonnn'r w. mum, or iumwoon, NEW Jersey. I

AIR HUMIDIFIEB.

Original No. 1,404,700, dated January 24, 1922, Serial No. 491,088, filed August 10, 1921 Application for reissue filed November 20, 192a Serial 110. 675,962.

To all whohi it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT \V. HARDIE,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Fanwood, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Air Humidifiers, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to that class of air humidifiers whereby vapor is discharged into an indoor atmosphereto increase the relative humidity thereof, and is in part a division, and inpart a continuation, of the invention contained in the by main the United States atent- Ofli'ce on the 20th day of August, 1920, Serial Number 404,951. a V

The invention is designed primarily to provide means for discharging into an indoor atmosphere, va or in such a condition that it may be readi y taken up by said atmo sphere and become diffused therein.

Efforts have heretofore been made to increase the relative humidity of an indoor atmosphere by projecting steam or vapor into such an atmosphere, through a head or casing provided with layers of absorbent ,material of various kinds.

These efl'orts have proved unsuccessful for the reason that such material has no well defined apertures or orifices for steam or vapor to pass through, and consequently the vapor is mndensedon the absorbentmaterial instead of pasing therethrough and saturating said material with the water of condensation.

A secondary vaporization from the outer surface of the absorbent material takes place under such conditions, without any of the original vapor passing through said material, but the 'revaporization produces no' practical humidifying efiect whatever.

Such efforts moreover, have proved im-. p

practical for the further reason that absorbent material, saturated with water at a high temperature, and exposed to the atmosphere forms a positive incubating bed for injurious bacteria. y a

Other efiorts haveb'een made to provide devices of that character having their intorio'r filled and packed with material more or less absorbent, such as sponge, cotton, gauze, hair and felt.

zippli'cation filed Such efforts have likewise provedunsuccessful for the reason that the vapor or steam condensed on the absorbent material instead of passing therethrough and for the further reason that the filling of the casing with such material leaves no room 'for the expansion of the steam or vapor within the casing or for the return of'the water of condensation from the steam or vapor which is ordinarily produced in devices of that character. I

The main object of this invention is to provide a device whereby steam or vapor under initial pressure or impulsive influence may be reduced as nearly as possible to atmospheric conditions without condensation,

single unit or station, adapted to be placed in the basement or hall of a dwelling or other structure, to discharge suflicient vapor to condition the atmosphere of the entire house or structure, or whlch may be embodied in small units so as to be placed in separate rooms or subdivisions of a house, or other building.

It is of the greatest importance in some cla$es of buildings: and especially in hospitals to be able to produce 1n some parts of the building, a difierent relatively humidity from that of other parts of the building, and one of the objects of the invention is to rovide means for so doin With the foregoing, an other objects in .view, hereinafter stated, the invention consists of the construction hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which show the invention in its apertures 6.

In the'drawings, in which similar refer ence numerals indicate similar parts throughoutthe several views, Figure 1 is in part a vertical central cross section and in part a. side elevation of a device embodying the invention in one of its forms.

Figure 2 is a plan of the device shown in -Fi re 1.

igure 3 is a plan of one of the sections or layers of one of the vapor conditioning members and 1 Figure 4 is a side elevation, partly brokeir steam or vapor supply, an annular-shoulder,

3 and a flange, 4 having a threaded engagement with the lower end of a shell 5.

The top plate of the'casing may be provided with any desired number of discharge When used with means for controlling the outlet of vapor from said casing, the apertures are preferably arranged in a group at one or more portions of said top, leaving the remainder of said top imperforate.

when desired to regulate the discharge of vapor from the casing, a discharge control plate is mounted upon the apertured top of the casing by means of a pivot pinor stud 8, and thereby adapted to have a rotary movement on said pin or stud. ,The discharge control plate 7 is provided with an openlng or cutaway portion 9 having an area equal to or greater than that occupied by a group of apertures of the top of the casing. The plate 7 is also preferabl provided with a depending hand operated ange 10,1oosely engaging the upper part of the body of the device, by means of which the plate 7 may be adjusted, so that the opening t ereof may be arranged over an imperforate portion of the top of the casing, or expose any desired number of apertures, and thereby control the quantity of vapor passing out of the casing.

Within the casing or shell connected with the top thereof, there is'contained a vapor conditioning member, designed to reduce the initial pressure, and retard the passage, of vapor therethrough, so that the va r when discharged from the apertures o the top of the casing 'will be as near as possible of atmospheric condition, therebyv enabling the va r to pass out of the device noiseless'ly, an in a condition to be readily absorbed by the atmosphere without condensing on objects in the immediate vicinity of the device.

When the device is connected with a source Ieifect or influence, the conditioning member may consist of a plurality of layers of woven Wire mesh-material, 11, laid one upon another.

When so arranged parts of adjacent layers of wire mesh will be in contact with each other, and other parts in separated relation, thereby forming spaces between the respective layers communicating with the apertures or mesh of the layers themselves.

As the vapor passes through the body of layers, 11 it is combated by the strands of the. material, and turned first in one direction, then in another, which, together with the friction produced by the wire strands of the member, reduce the initial pressure of the vapor, and permit the vapor to pass noiselessly out of the device, and to be read ily taken up by, and diffused into the indoor atmosphere.

The layers of wire mesh-material are preferably supplemented, for ordinary purposes,

with one or more perforated plates or disks 12, arranged within the casing, and spaced from the base 1 thereof. I

Those plates or disks, by means .of the apertures therein restrict the passage of vapor from the interior of the body of the casing into the layers of wire mesh and pre-i vent-the vapor within the casing from coming in contact, in the first instance, with the entire surface of the layers of wire mesh. The result is that 'when the vapor passes through the openings in the perforated plates, the vapor has room to expand and spread with'in'tli'eTo dy made up of the layers of mesh material, thereby aiding in reducing' the initial pressure of the vapor. The combined spaces and openings within the body of the member thereby in effect form a secondary vapor expansion member. By reducing the number and size of the apertures of the plate 12, the expansion area within the conditioning member is relatively increased.

In cases where the device is connected with a source of vapor supply under positive pressure or impulsive effect or influence, the conditioning member may be constructed largely or entirely of the perforated plates 12, as is shown in Figure 4.

The conditioning member may be secured in place within the casingin any suitable manner, such as by means of a tubular shell 13, having its upper end bearing against the outer margin of the conditioning member and forming a supporting shoulder therefor, and its lower end bearing against'the shoulder 3 on the base 1. v

The tubular support is preferably extended slifi casing wa is screwed onto or into the base 1, the top of tly below the lower end of the so that as the wall of the casing the casing will be pressed down onto the conditioning member,- thercby compressing the layers of said member closely together to the desired extent, and hold the conditioning member securely in position on itstubular support. The supporting member also performs the function of closing the joint between the outer margin of the conditioning member, and the inner surface of the wa of the casing and prevents any vapor passing between said parts.

In cases where it is not desired to hold the layers of foraminous material pressed closely together, it' is not essential that the shell of the casing be made adjustable relative to the shoulder or shell supporting the conditioning member, nor is it essential in any event that said shoulder or shell be made independently of thetshell of the casing.

.To obtain the bestresults from the use of this invention in cases where the condi tioning member is comprised of layers of wire mesh fabric, it is desirable that the conditioning member be placed with its discharge apertures near to the interior surface of the apertured top of the casing: so that the vapor, as it leaves the conditioning member will pass quickly from the conditioning member into the atmosphere to become immediately diffused therein.

The apertures 6 of the top of the casing 5 enable the vapor discharged from the device to be controlled by means of the discharge control plate 7. In cases where it is not desired to control 'the discharge of vapor from the conditioning member, the control plate 7 is not essential, and where the con ditlonmg member is comprised of apertured plate 12. asshown in Figure 4, the apertured top of the casing is not essential even when it is desired to control the amount of vapor passing out of theconditioning member.

In cases where the conditioning member is made of layers of wire mesh material, the

capacity of the conditioning member for discharging vapor, and consequently the rate of discharge therefrom, may be'adjusted and controlled, within limits, by slightly turning, on its bearing, the threaded member" connected with the top' plate. In such cases also the control plate is not essential.

By placing the conditioning member at the discharge end of the casing with portions of said member exposed to theatmosphere, .7

through the apertures of the top plate, vapor passes directly from the conditioning member into the atmosphere without restriction. In addition thereto an expansion chamber is provided between the inlet aperture and the conditioning member which permits vapor entering the casing to expand, and lose some of its initial pressure or impulsive effect, and also permits a free return to its source, of any water of condensation that may form within the expansion chamber; in consequence whereof only vapor in its most fitting condition passes intothe conditioning member. I.

It is quite important, in some'classes of buildings, that some means he provided for controlling the discharge of vapor into an indoor atmosphere. At certain times or seasons of the year, as in the spring or fall.

it is necessary to have some heat. yet the outdoor atmosphere may be unusually moist seasons when the outside atmosphere is lackingin the average amountof humidity relative to its temperature, and in such case,

the discharge of vapor indoors should be regulated or controlled so as to provide a greater discharge of vapor in proportion to the amount of heat supplied, than at-other times. 1

Againin hospitals, and other places it is necessarv to provide apercentage of relative humidity in one part of the building differentfrom that in another part of the building.

The means herein disclosed are well adapted to control the indoor humidity as a whole, or by applying a plurality of units in dif-' ferent parts of a building the different parts may be provided with humidity of the rela tivity desired.

In the constructions shown and described the layers of material comprising the conditioning member are arranged in horizontal planes: that not however an essential fea-' ture of the invention, nor is it essential that the discharge apertures be formed in the top of the casing. Such construction is preferred, however, for by' such'means the move able plate 7 may be brought directly and closel over any desired number of apertures, there y positively closing said apertures against t e escape of any vapor therefrom:

and positively controlling the quantity of vapor passing out of the device, into. the atmosphere.

.It is preferable to make the layers of wire mesh material of a finer and closer mesh at the entering end of the member than at the discharge'end, so as to restrict the passage of vapor at the entering portion more than at the discharge port1on.---- a v The particular size of the mesh, or of the apertures of the layers of material making the conditioning member and the num-. ber of layers used, is not'of the essence of the invention.

For most purposes eighty mesh and eight or ten layers .of material may be used. When apertured plates are used the apertures of the plates may be of about one sixteenth of an inch or less indiameter, and layers enough may be used to make the conditioning member of one half an inch or more in thickness.

Instead of providing the' inlet end of the device with an interiorly threaded stem, as shown in the drawing, that end may be provided with an exteriorly threaded stem extending laterally from the member as in the radiator air valves of ordinary construction, or vertically in line with the axis of the body of the device.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by'Letters Patent is: 1. An air humidifying device comprising a casing having an inlet aperture and a plurality of discharge apertures, a vapor conditioning member having a plurality of superimposed layers of foraminous, nonabsorbent material within said casing, with its discharge face adjacent to the interior surfaceof the apertured part of the dis charge end of said casing, with apertures of 'said member communicating directly with terial provided with apertures extending from the interior of the casing and exposed at their outer terminals to the atmosphere, and a discharge control plate mounted upon the discharge end of said casing and adapted to expose or cover the apertures of said conditioning member.

3. An air humidifier having an outer caspressed together by ing provided with a base having an inlet aperture, a. plate within the casing spaced from said base and having apertures adapted to permit the restricted passage of vapor from the interior of said casing through said plate, a vapor discharge platehaving apertures exposed to the atmosphere, wire mesh between said plates, and means for pressing said plates and wire mesh together.

4. An air humidifier having an outer casing provided with a base having an inlet aperture, a plate within the casing spaced from said base and having apertures adapted to permit the restricted passage of vapor from the interior of said casing through said plate, a vapor discharge plate having apertures exposed to the atmosphere, foraminous non-absorbent material between said plates, and means for pressing said plates and material together.

5. An air humidifier having an outer casing provided with a base having an inlet aperture, a plate within the casing spaced from the base thereof, and having apertures Y adapted to permitthe restricted passage of vapor from the interior of said casing through said plate, a vapor discharge plate having apertures exposed to the atmosphere,

and wire mesh material between said plates.

6. An air humidifier havin an outer shell, a base havin a threaded connection with said shell and provided with an inlet aperture, a plate within the casing spaced from the base thereof and having apertures adapted to permit the restricted passage of vapor from the interior of the casing through said plate, a vapor discharge plate connected with said shell and having apertures exposed to the atmosphere, foraminous, nonabsorbent material between said plates, said plates and material being adapted to be said shell relative to said base.

ROBERT W. HARDIE.

a rotary movement of 

